Collar shaping device



April 6, 1948. 9, R 2,439,088

COLLAR SHAPING DEVICE FiledJan. 12, 1946 INVENTOR) VINCENT/ HERR -ATTORNE Patented Apr. 6 1948 PATENT ()FFICE COLLAR SHAPING DEVICE Vincent A. Herr, Collinsville, Ill.

Application January 12, 1946, Serial No. 640,879

2 Claims. 1

This invention relates to improvements in collar shaping devices, and more particularly to stifiening, reinforcing and shaping accessories for use with mens collars of folded type, whether the collar be separable or attached to the shirt of the wearer. The devices of the present improvements may be considered as optionally built into collars of applicable types, in perma nent combination therewith, or sold and utilized as separable adjunctive shaping members.

A number of collar stays or stiffeners of various types have heretofore appeared on the market, some of which have been employed with indifferent success. The Sprevalent types of such devices serve primarily as bridge or tie members i in securement to the opposite points or tabs of the collar. Such devices are easily lost, are sometimes diflicult of application, and many of such types are at least partly visible at all times and doubtfully ornamental. The present invention accordingly seeks objectively to obviate the several shortcomings and disadvantages noted in respect to prevalent collar stays in a way to exhibit every advantage of the older devices while adding to their functions that of maintaining the outer fold and neck band oi the collar in parallel adjacence, and the function of tensioning the points or tabs of the collar in a direc tion circumferentially of the neck, but entirely without any discomfort.

Another important advantagerealized by the present invention lies in the provision of a fully concealed, loss-proof collar stay which is or may be constructed of a minimum length and weight of material.

A further and valuable objective of the present improvements is realized in a device for the purpose noted, which may serve the further purpose of a support or guide for a cravat, or bond. of a necktie, correctly positioning it, while assuring a free sliding action in neckwear adiustment.

The foregoing and numerous other advantages and objects will more clearly appear from the following detailed description of an exemplary embodiment of the invention, particularly when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of one end, or the point portion of a collar of folded type to which the improved shaping device has been applied, and in which such device is shown in dotted lines;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an elevational View drawn to illustrate one of the properties of resilience of the shaping device, in this figure the outer fold having been raised to reveal the location of the shaping device. and the manner of deformation thereof incident to one form of relative displacement of the folds of the collar;

Fig. 4 is. a fragmentary sectional View of the structure of Fig. 3.v and as taken along line 4-4 of that figure;

Fig. 5 is an elevational view of a simplified form of the improved collar shaping device, shown apart from the fabric elements of the collar, and Fig. 6 is an elevational view of a somewhat modified form of shaping device.

Referring now by characters of reference to the drawing, and first to Fig. 5, although the shaping device may assume a variety of forms all within the general principles of the improvements, there is illustrated an arrangement comprised .and for economy formed of a single unitary or integral length of tempered wire stock.

In order better to correlate the structure shown by Fig. 5 with that of the other figures of drawing, the device is therein shown in the position which it would occupy in combination. in and with the left hand point or tab area of the collar, being the area near the end of the folded collar. It will be understood, as apparent from the drawing, that this type of device will prefera bly be employed in pairs, a similar companion accessory, relatively reversed in position, being also utilized in the right hand tab or point area of the collar. Since the structure is identical for both devices, and since either of the pair may be employed in either a right hand or left hand position, a description of one thereof will fully .suflice to cover both.

First to refer to the structure of the strip or wire element, this may consist of a lengthof relatively highly tempered or spring wire, such as music wire or piano wire, for example of 24: gauge. A suitable length of material is selected and is die or die-formed to result in a device shaped. say. like that of Fig. 5, in which all parts initially lie in a common plane, and in an unstressed condition are related substantially as shown. The arrangement includes a front, first or primary anchorage member exemplified by a relatively long pin l0, and at its opposite end a relatively shorter anchorage or pin ll. Each of these pins may. if desired for greater facility in attachment, be pointed as shown at "12.

That part intervening andintesra-lly united to the members and H may be referred to as a bridge or connection, and is comprised in the example shown, of a relatively enlarged V- shaped portion consisting of converging legs l3 and I4, resulting in a, downwardly extending tab which, it will later appear, is normally overlain by the cravat band of the wearer, thus keeping the tab in close parallel adjacence to the neck band of the collar. This tab, formed of downwardly and upwardly extending portions, is preferably of a depth or height approximating the height of the neck band fold of the collar. Joining the leg [4 of the tab is a series of convolutely arranged parts, the several elements of which are shown in rectilinear form and designated at I5, 16, Hand [8. Although the device is shown as formed to present relatively sharp or apical zones of juncture between the several legs of the bridge (consisting of members it through l8), this structure may, if desired, be given a somewhat more gradually rounded, less angulate formation with only slightly differing results] Referring now to the manner of application and usage of the device as employed in a typical mens collar of folded type, the latter, as shown, includes a neck band NB and outer fold OF, both of which are or may be of conventional construction, the outer fold including a lower or substantially horizontal seam LS and a front seam FS.

In application of the device of Fig. 5 to a collar of this type, one order of procedure is first to insert the anchor pin II in the neck band NB, then with some or all of the top apices of the "bridge brought to lie adjacent to the inner surface of the fold between parts NB and OF, the anchor pin I0 is inserted downward into, parallel and along the front margin identified with the front seam of the element OF of the collar. With only moderate experience, it will be found that an advantage is attained in inserting the anchor pin H slightly forwardly of the position it would normally tend to assume with. pin it in place, whereby to keep the bridge under a slight endwise compression. There will now become apparent the facility of the device for maintaining particularly the outer fold of the collar under some lengthwise or circumferential tension. At the same time, it will now have appeared that the anchor pin 1 1 serves inherently as a neck stay or stiffening element as does the anchor pin is in the point of the collar.

It has previously been generally noted that the attachment as such, when unstressed, will tend to lie with all its parts virtually in or at least biased toward a common plane. The resilience of the material is such that when any part is deflected from this plane, it will tend to resume its position therein. Now, from this there results a unique advantage of the present device as reflected by Fig. 3. If pin element it be deflected outwardly of the plane of part I I, it will now obviously tend to spring back to a position of close parallel adjacence thereto. Accordingly, with elements Ill and II respectively embedded in the fabric of parts OF and NB, it will appear that the device tends to keep the collar folds in parallel adjacence at all times. v The modification of Fig. 6 possesses all advantagesof that of Figs. 1 through 5. It may be formed in a generally similar manner, be applied as described, possesses allfunctions earlier and hereinafter noted, and in addition serves for the support and free slidable retention of the band portion of a necktie, maintaining it in correct position in register with the neckband. In Fig. 6, corresponding parts are numbered similarly to those of Fig. 5, but with the addition of suffix a, the inner surface of the neckband engaging legs [3a and Ma of the bridge, the lower extremities of which are turned upwardly to form an outer guide of parts 2!] and 2!. These latter are spaced outwardly of the body of the tab, so the cravat band may freely slide between parts Na and I 4a on the inner side, and 2B and 2! on the outer side.

From the foregoing, it will now have appeared that the improved stay affords at least a triple function, namely, (a) that of keeping the folds of the collar in parallel adjacence, as last above described; (b) the purpose and result of constituting a vertical stay structure for both neck band and outer panel of the collar, and (c) the function of a tensioning device for the point area of the collar. This triple function serves admirably in keeping the collar, even a soft collar, free of wrinkles resulting from depthwise compression, as well as obviating those resulting from circumferential strains on the collar, and at the same time eliminating unsightly outwardly displacement of the outer panel or fold of the collar. It will accordingly have appeared that the device in the examples described, serves fully to attain each of the several objectives hereinabove expressed, and others implied from the more extended description.

Although the improvements have been de-- scribed by making specific reference to only tWo selected embodiments, the detail of description is to be understood in an instructive, rather than in any limiting sense, numerous variants being possible and contemplated within the scope of the claims hereuntoappended. V

I claim as my invention:

1. A collar stay adapted for use in pairs, one near each end or point of the collar, each such stay being formed of a length of spring stock including a pair of terminal anchoring pins one of which is of a length to extend downwardly into the outer band of the collar substantially fully through the front seam as a stiffener therefor, the second anchoring pin being of a length to extend downwardly into the inner band of the collar, the stay further including a bridge structure connecting the upper ends of and forming a compressively yieldable connection between the pins, said bridge structure including downwardly extended and upwardly extended portions forming a tab adapted to lie flat against the neck band of the collar and between the neck band and outer band thereof, the construction of the tab being such as yieldably to resist relative displacement of the two pins from a normal relation, both in directions lengthwise of the collar and in directions depthwise thereof, and acting, when the first said anchoring pin is placed in the front seam 0f the collar, to keep the outer fold of the collar tensioned fully up to the front seam.

2. A collar stay for a folded collar, the stay being formed of a length of resilient metal wire stock such as spring steel and including at each end, a terminal anchoring pin, the first of such pins being of a length approaching that of the front seam and point of the collar, and adapted to extend through such seam substantially to the point, so as to serve as a stiffening element for the front seam, the second such pin being of a length to be received completely in the neck band-of the collar, and a zig-Zag bridge portion connecting the 5 upper ends of the pins and including portions adapted to engage the inner surface of the collar fold, one of the zig-zag formations of the bridge being of a length approaching the depth or height of the neck band of the collar and being so formed with the remainder of the bridge as normally to lie in close parallel adjacence to the neck band and to be overlain by a neck tie between the collar folds, the pins and bridge being so formed as to tend to lie in a common plane, and yieldably to resist displacement of the pins in a direction along the collar, being further adapted similarly to resist tendencies for movement of its parts out of its original plane, whereby tending to maintain the-outer band of the collar in close parallel ad- 15 jacence to the neck band thereof.

VINCENT A. HERE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,414,119 Feigenbaum Apr. 25, 1922 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 15,446 Great Britain July 2, 1912 

